Acceptance, Part 2

I am slowly rebounding from the hip injury described in the prior post. My physical therapist quickly assessed the problem – an imbalance between my hips. The muscles were pulling in different directions putting pressure on the glute medius, the source of the pain. Some stretching and massage got me back into alignment and two subsequent appointments showed the alignment holding.  By then it had been six weeks since I had been able to train and three since running at all.  We developed a plan for a gradual return to action.  My first week was three runs totaling 10 miles ( 3, 3, 4). This was followed by 18 miles (4, 4, 5, 5). And this week I’m hoping for 22 miles (5, 5, 6, 6). However, these runs have averaged around a 10:00 pace, following the prescription of increasing distance first and then speed.

This comes at a time of extreme cold and snow in Vermont, along with much of New England.  We hit minus 13 one day with several days not exceeding zero. Then we had over a foot of snow.  I had hoped to avoid going to the indoor track as the turns there may have led, in part, to this problem in the first place when doing speed workouts. This has required some creativity to get in the runs. First, bundling up and finding places that have been plowed. Second, going to the upstairs track at UVM that has more gentle cornering and running a slower pace. It appears I am on the mend and will be able to continue training with low to mid 20-mile weeks, while picking up speed.

Timing is of the essence.  And in 10 days, I had hoped to run the Bedford NH 4M race. Last year, this race was snowed out and this year the cold seems to be hanging on with race day forecasted to be in the mid-20s.  Not a day to test a rehabbing hip. Yet it’s the first Grand Prix race and I do my best to make these races.  This suggests that if I make the trek to that race, I must accept a much slower time than expected — maybe an 8:30 pace, at best.  Two years ago, I ran a 7:53 pace at the back end of recovery from a hamstring injury. Based on races last fall, I had been hoping for something in the 7:45 race.  That is out of range. The question, then, is do I enter this race, probably not having run anything less than a 9:00 pace, aiming to run 8:30 – 8:45 for the four miles and potentially aggravate the hip.  Or do I fully accept the situation and wait until I am in Florida to run a 5K and 3K with another three weeks of training under my belt.  

I find it’s always important to take the long view on these things. Yet I am conflicted. I want to be part of the team effort and see folks from the other clubs, too.  And even at a slower pace I would contribute. Already, I plan to miss the half marathon on March 15th.  I probably can’t be ready for a race of that length in six weeks as it will likely be a month before I can run 10 miles. Maybe if the expected conditions were better, it would make the decision easier.  Meeting folks to leave here at 5:30 a.m. and then drive back making it an eight hour trip adds to the conundrum.  It just feels like a push.

Ultimately, this seems to be coming down to a matter of acceptance.